Ista Hotels to Be Rebranded as Hyatt Hotels

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed a management agreement with IHHR Hospitality Private Limited (IHHR) for five Ista hotels in India to be re-branded by Hyatt. Under the agreement, the fully operational Ista hotels will be known as Hyatt Bangalore, Hyatt Pune, Hyatt Hyderabad, Hyatt Ahmedabad and Hyatt Amritsar. The branding effort is expected to be completed by March 2013. The agreements were signed by both parties on October 29 in London.

“As a company we see a perfect fit with IHHR’s forward-thinking philosophy and vision,” said Ratnesh Verma, senior vice president, real estate and development for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in Asia-Pacific, in an announcement. “We feel honored to have been selected as the new brand for their portfolio in India. It is our constant endeavor to create preference for our brand by having hotels in markets where our customers are traveling. This opportunity allows Hyatt to further consolidate its distribution in India and offer its customers a choice in new markets such as Bangalore, Amritsar and Ahmedabad. The re-branding will also enhance our representation with a great collection of high quality hotels that are already recognized as market leaders in guest experience and performance.”

The mutually beneficial association between the two hospitality companies will, in turn, enable the five hotels to enlarge their global reach, become a part of Hyatt’s Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program and other marketing initiatives, take advantage of Hyatt’s well-established systems and processes, and participate in Hyatt’s network of hotels in 45 countries. This deal will also allow IHHR to re-focus its efforts on further developments and its other brands, which include the spa brand Ananda in the Himalayas.

The re-branding of the five Ista hotels as Hyatt Hotels, will mark the entry of the fourth brand from the company’s portfolio into India. Currently, India has five Hyatt Regency hotels in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, two Grand Hyatt hotels in Mumbai and Goa, and three Park Hyatt hotels in Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad. There are currently more than 50 Hyatt-branded hotels under development in India, which are expected to add more than 12,000 rooms. The Hyatt Place brand will be the next to enter India, with Hyatt Place Hampi opening later this year, followed by Hyatt Place Pune, Hinjewadi. The next six months will also mark the opening of three other Hyatt hotels in India – Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Ludhiana and Hyatt Raipur.